Book Review: Love untold Ruth Jones

Overall RATING: 5.8/10

Brief Description: The book consists of 4 women: Grace, Alys, Elin and Beca. A story of mothers and daughters rekindiling and trying to get through life during struggles that they all faced through out the years. From Beca, a 16 year old student going through her GSCE till Grace, a grandmother who is just turning 90. The story starts off as Grace is turning 90 years old and doesnt want a giant commotion, she just wants to have a quiet celebration and time with her family nothing else. But Elin and the rest of her family all want to suprise her with a birthday party.

My Personal Thoughts: The book was alright. I think 500 pages might be a little excesive, do i believe there were some chapters that couldve been cut out of the book entirely? Defenitly. I did pick out some spelling errors which set the mood off and looked a little funky when reading, did have to re read it a few times. The start was good, it was clear to know what was going on and who is who. I enjoyed the dynamic between Elin and Beca because i could relate to it in a way with my mother. I also thourghouly enjoyed graces charcter and how they put this mysterious telling on Alys, i genuninly was excited to know who this Alys girl was. But i will say i feel the story wouldve been better if we didnt get Alys's POV. It wouldve been cooler if they just made her this mysterious charcter and then give us her POV when she rekindled with Grace. I didnt really care enough for Alys's POV's and i wouldve been able to enjoy it more if they didnt come RIGHT after Elin and Becas POV's (Those 2 had some of the best POV's in the whole book) And would alwayssssss give us Alys's boring pointless POV right after this intense fight between Elin and her husband. Like no girl, I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR RECOVERY SORRY (Not really, litreally they were so boring i even skipped some pages from Alys's chapters LOL.)

Some parts of the story were just unnecesary and some stuff i could just perdict by how the story was going. For example: When Beca kissed Soozi and realized she was gay i already knew it was going to happen from the moment she met Soozi. Unpopular opinon and i dont know if anyone will agree on this but, Beca being gay had no point in this story. Like i would get if Elin or anyone else got like angry at her for being gay and then we had some drama with that but like Beca just came out to Elin and was like "Omg! Yes queen lesbian slayyy! I support even though you failed all your GCSE!!! Go QUEER!" GIRL. Doesnt make any sense and was POINTLESS. I feel Ruth couldve really gone into a more deeper part of that but she just added this unnescary giant plot and just gave it just a anticlimatic finish.

On the contrary, i will say Beca failing her GCSE was TOP TIER storyline. Tell me why i was litreally SHAKING when Beca was getting her results. I like how Ruth doesnt give us a happy ending, showing a real raw and true way of how these usually go. Beca didnt just magically get all A+ (Forgive me if my GSCE knowledge is wrong, i do IB) But she actually failed and i think Ruth really portrayed that failure well. I loved Erin's reaction to it. Loved the irony that she is the head teacher and her daughter failed all her GSCE execpt for a few. The way Ruth displayed the fight between Elin and Beca after getting her results was so well written. I was really feeling devestaed and stressed out, almost as if it was me who failed. So really well done on that.

Now the reason i gave this book a 5.8 was because i felt that i kind of forced myself to read this. I did finish it in 2 days but i also did pull a all nighter so.. I think the ending was what just brought the rating all the way down. First off, i am not homophobic in any way. I think queer couples should be added into a storyline WHEN NECESSARY and that it fits the plot and timeline but i think near the end Ruth just gave up and realized she had free will and started throwing in a bunch queer couples. Grace being in a realitonship with Cissie was so OUT OF NOWHERE i kind of love it. Defenitly twisted the plot REALLL fast, not to mention GRACE DYING???!??!!? I legit had to GET UP from my bed because i couldnt believe what i had just read. It was SUCH A GOOD PLOT TWIST, it was so sudden i was like "omg NOOO" I really loved Grace (Kind of) and her death was super shocking. But i still stand that her being in a realtionship with Cisse was as if said again........ POINTLESS! If Grace maybe showed a secert that she was like running from the government or hiding a dark family secert or something else IDK! Really anticlimatic and kind of made me cringe.

The ending was kind of sweet, i liked the bittersweetness of it. I was just happy that Elin got a happy ending and didnt go back to her CHEATING HUSBAND SCUM BAG. When i thought that she was gonna go back to her husband for a moment i actually almost punched a whole in that book and was gonna stop reading it all together. But THANKFULLY, by the grace of god (and my begging) she did not. But i wish Ruth continued the realitonship between the gardner and her, but all and all i get not starting anything, its realistic. I liked Elin the most, defenitly my favorite charcter and felt like i could relate to her the most.

My least favorite charcter had to be Alys. I dont really hate anyone to be honest, i actually liked alot of the charcters and none of them really irked me or ticked me off. But im just saying Alys cause i could not STAND her in the flashbacks between Alys and Grace. It reminded me of that quote where it went "The daughter and father secerlty ridicule the mother" or something along the lines. She irked me then with her sheer ignorance and disrespect but again she was a teenager so i wasnt like blaming her for doing this, again she witnessed her father die so i could imagine the trauma that causes.

Overall, would i read it again? Maybe, but i would only read certian parts. A 500 page story that could be fitted into 300 pages. Sooooo yup. I would recommend to read it was really intresting and was a good kind of drama/ family drama book.